Good organization aids partnerships: Indiana: Mooresville Consolidated School Corp.

Mooresville Consolidated School Corp. in Mooresville, Ind., recognized the need for better coordination and communication between its schools and the community and decided to create a more structured approach to the situation in 1998.

The community was gradually being transformed from a rural farm setting to a suburb of Indianapolis, and businesses had begun to contact the schools about corporate education programs and ideas. Many teachers were unaware of these potential partners, while, at the same time, parents were looking for ways to become more involved. The district's piecemeal system of coordination and communication was quickly becoming outdated.

In 1998, school administrators organized a luncheon to discuss partnerships between the school system and community stakeholders, including elected officials, business people, other community leaders, teachers and parents. The result was the creation of the Business Education Community Partnership (BECP), for which Mooresville Consolidated School Corp. was named the Indiana recipient of the 2005 Civic Star Award.

The BECP partnership was formed to prepare Mooresville students for careers, lifelong learning and community responsibility by promoting job exploration, providing service learning opportunities and "exposing students to the skills and characteristics needed to excel in a constantly changing world."

Structural and long-term financial planning were made priorities. Assistant Superintendent for Business Carl Freeman helped develop a strategy to finance and create office space for a part-time community relations coordinator and part-time school-to-career consultant for the schools. The two positions would help strengthen the link between the schools and the BECP.

After Freeman became superintendent in 2002, he became an even stronger advocate for school-community involvement. He and other administrators meet twice annually with the local Ministerial Association to discuss developments and trends in the schools. This ongoing partnership led to a community concert/cookout on the lawn of a local church to help raise funds for the annual school supply drive, which provides school supplies to needy students.

Over the past few years, numerous businesses and organizations have participated through BECP in educational programs, providing opportunities for students to have one-on-one contact with positive role models, supporting teachers with classroom presentations and supply donations and providing financial support. Among the seven Mooresville schools, more than 3,200 of the 4,300 students have taken part in a project that put them in direct contact with adult role models.

The BECP has also created a variety of avenues for the schools and community to work together through annual events, ongoing programs and special projects.

One example of such a program is the Reality Store at Paul Hadley Middle School, where about 350 eighth graders get a chance each year to pretend they are 28 years old, with careers, families and many responsibilities. As they walk through a series of booths, they must make financial decisions ranging from car and home purchases to insurance and child-care commitments while staying within a specified budget.

Students also determine a career choice after taking a computer assessment. This exercise in matching their skills and interests to potential careers gives students a chance to relate their school work to potential future employment. It also helps them think about the choices they'll have in determining their high school elective courses. After their Reality Store experience, students write a paper for their English classes, describing what they learned.

About 45 volunteers participate in the event, and $2,500 in cash and supplies are donated by community members and partners.

For more information, contact Superintendent Curtis Freeman Jr. at Mooresville Consolidated School Corp., 11 W. Carlisle St., Mooresville, Ind. 46158, or call [phone]. Freeman's e-mail address is [e-mail].